Sunday, August 28, 2011

Mommy Advice- Breastfeeding Question


Hello all you mommies out there!

I am only breastfeeding with lovebug and so far it is going great.
I caught some sort of bug this week and she seems to be affected by it. I'm going to call the dr tomm to get her an appt since she's been throwing up right after eating poor thing

So for the last few days I haven't been able to keep much food down and it got me concerned about the lack of nutrients she may or may not be getting. That also led me to think about healthy eating in general when breastfeeding.

With the hubs gone I'm not eating the most balanced meals although I try. I know I could do better. Are there any books or resources out there that provide info on what to eat while breastfeeding

And another question. I haven't started pumping yet due to my pump breaking and having to exchange it. Anyway did you allow yourself any type of alcoholic beverage while breastfeeding? Some friends have said one glass of beer or wine will help milk production. I'm not sure if that's true and have stayed away from any alcoholic beverage but a glass of wine sounds so good lately. Is it better to pump and dump directly after? How long does the alcohol stay in your system? There's so much I don't know!

Thanks for all your help

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9 comments:

  1. The yeast in beer really helps with milk production, and wine definitely helps too, at least in relaxing you and the baby. All my friends have had a little alcohol during breastfeeding and swear by it! When we have this baby I told my husband I want a beer right away ;) Just don't binge drink. A glass a wine is fine!

    A book that got recommended to me is "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" by La Leche League. I'm going to crack my copy open soon to get started!

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  2. First, make sure you keep breastfeeding even when you're sick; the antibodies you produce transfer through the breast milk and will help your baby. And as far as nutrition, Gianna will be fine. If you are not getting enough nutrients for both of you the baby will take what she needs, leaving YOU deprived. And something my nurse said when I was pregnant with my first was that as Americans we're pretty well nourished so don't stress if your diet isn't perfect. That doesn't mean eat fast food and junk all the time and you'll be fine, but as long as you are making sure to eat healthy most of the time you don't need to stress about "being bad" sometimes. And lastly, I don't drink but I remember seeing alcohol test strip things at Walgreens once (I was looking for something specific so was inspecting pretty much everything they had nursing related). I think you'd put a drop of breast milk on the strip (kind of like the test strips for your urine when you're pregnant) and it would tell you if your breast milk was ok for the baby or if there was too much alcohol in your system.

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  3. Is there a La Leche League group near you? They are very helpful : )

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  4. I have the La Leche book and its so helpful!! its kind of an expensive book but I have found it super helpful!!
    I had a mimosa the other day and my cousin informed me that its ok to have one glass. Evelyn had an amazing nap that night so I am sure it was really good for her.

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  5. To increase milk production I was told to take blessed thistle and fenugreek 3 or each pill 3x a day. Hope that helps!

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  6. Always keep breastfeeding even when you're sick. That's not a problem at all. It actually helps her build up defenses.

    For breastfeeding and alcohol, I've heard it takes about 3 hours for every drink you have before it leaves your system. I would always pump ahead of time and use that supply if I was going to drink, rather than risk it. They also have these strips, but I never drank enough to worry about it:
    http://www.amazon.com/Milkscreen-Home-Detect-Alcohol-Breast/dp/B000UEA95M

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  7. I heard from many sources and used this rule, if you're OK to drive you're OK to BF. I didn't over do it but I didn't deprive myself. Very little actually passes though to the milk. It was very common to see my in the evening to see TC nursing and me drinking a beer/wine.

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  8. The instructor of my breastfeeding class said that one glass of wine or beer is fine. She put it in simple terms of, if you're feeling the alcohol, then you're baby will feel the alcohol. But one glass is fine. Don't feel like you have to pump and dump just after one glass of something. In fact, at first when I had trouble sleeping, a visiting nurse told me to drink a glass of wine to help relax my body enough to sleep, and I exclusively breastfed for a year.

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  9. I don't think there is any point in 'pumping and dumping.' I was told it takes around 2 hours to get out of your system (about the same as your BAC content after a beer). I just make sure that I have my beverage right after I feed Patrick, and then make sure it's been at least two hours from the time I finish the drink when I feed him. If you know there is a longer stretch that your little one sleeps, then have a drink right before you lay her down. Patrick always slept for about 5 hours the first time I put him down at night, so I had my drink then! Hope this helps....every Momma needs a beverage!

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